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Picture-Perfect Clamps For all mitered joi nts and budgets, there are clamps to get the job done right BY ANA TOLE BURKIN Framing clamps pull all joints of a. piece together at once. These work well on small- to medium-sized frames or boxes, regardless of stock thickness. A gOOd miter joint begins with an accurate cut and ends with a precision clamp. Errors made along the way-a cut that's off a degree or a clamp that won't pull the joint tight-can get compounded. It's like using a checkbook: mess up one entry and the entire running balance turns to slop. A clamp won't solve problems of bad geometry, but if the math adds up, a good clamp should accurately position stock and firmly close the joint. Nothing is more maddening than trying to get by with a clamp that won't bring a joint home or won't hold it securely while the glue sets. There are a lot of ways to clamp miters, and readers of Fine Woodworking have come up with many ingenious solutions. Manufacturers have been prolific, too. I looked at more than 20 clamping devices currently on the market and included the best 16 in this survey. I evaluated the clamps on several criteria: ease and precision of alignment, ergonomics and pressure exerted on a joint. To measure the amount of pressure a clamp exerted, I slipped a O.OOlS-in. feeler gauge into a joint and tightened the clamp. If the feeler gauge slipped out with a gentle tug, I labeled the clamp light-duty. If a tight grip was required to remove the feeler gauge, out I labeled the clamp moderate-duty. If I had trouble pulling the gauge-or in some cases couldn't pull out the gauge without mangling it-I described the clamp as heavy-duty. Overall performance ratings are as follows: adequate, good and excellent. I didn't 66 FI E WOODWORKING ADJUSTABLE FOUR- CORNER CLAMP Manufacturer: Available from many outlets including Trendlines (800-767-9999) and Woodcraft (800-225-1153) Cost: $20 How it works: Hinged extruded aluminum rails have four selfsquaring plastic pads; joint is pulled together by tightening thumbscrew on a carriage bolt connected to pivots on the rails. Pros: Substitute a pipe clamp for the carriage bolt to glue up larger frames. Cons: Thumbscrew is small and hard to tighten firmly. Rating: Acceptable lightto medium-duty clamp.